Consultation in the workplace

Consultation in the workplace

Duty to consult

Consultation is an essential part of managing work health and safety in your workplace.

Businesses must consult with workers in situations when their health and safety is likely to be or is directly affected. Workers must have an opportunity to express their views and contribute to any decisions relating to their health and safety.

What is a consultation arrangement?

A consultation arrangement is the way that you consult with your workers. It can be as simple as talking to your workers regularly and considering their views when making health and safety decisions. Your workers must agree to the arrangement.

Consultation provides an opportunity to use the knowledge and experience of your staff to achieve a safer and healthier workplace.

See our consultation toolkit for more information.

Who to consult?

You must consult with workers who are, or are likely to be, directly affected by a health and safety issue in your workplace.

Your workers are affected by your decisions, so you must involve them in all work health and safety decisions. They can help you find better controls, improve decision-making and reduce incidents.

If you share work health and safety duties with another business or businesses, you must also consult with them and their workers.

How to consult

You can consult with workers in a variety of ways, including:

  • holding regular formal or informal meetings
  • electing a health and safety representative (HSR)
  • appointing a health and safety committee.

HSRs are elected to represent workers on health and safety matters and have responsibilities under WHS legislation.

An HSR and deputy HSR play a pivotal role in gathering information about what the health and safety issues are for their work group. They can work out ways to resolve issues in consultation with business representatives such as managers, and supervisors as well as committees and other HSRs.

You can use a mix of consultation arrangements. When deciding how to consult with your workers, take into consideration:

  • the size of your business
  • the way work is arranged
  • what suits your workers.

Refer to the consultation toolkit for more information on how to consult.

When to consult

Consultation must be regular and ongoing. You must consult with your workers when:

  • identifying hazards and assessing risks
  • deciding how to eliminate or minimise risks
  • proposing changes that may affect the health and safety of your workers
  • making decisions about workplace facilities
  • making decisions about how you will:
    • consult with your workers
    • resolve workplace health and safety issues
    • monitor your workers’ health
    • monitor workplace condition
    • supply information and training to your workers.

Consult with other businesses

If you share work health and safety duties with another business, you must consult with them and their workers.

For example, if you have contractors or labourhire workers, you share a duty of care and you must consult with the businesses that supply their services.

Similarly, if you have contractors or labour-hire workers, you share a duty of care and you must consult with the businesses that supply their services.

What to consult on

  • employer responsibilities.
  • procedures for consulting and resolving issues.
  • how work affects others and who is affected.
  • hazards, risks and control measures.
  • how controls will be checked and updated.

How to cooperate

  • listen to and consider the views of others.
  • act upon your agreed commitments.

How to coordinate

  • plan and work together.
  • check and assess control measures regularly to make sure they are working well.